Balsamic vinegar is likely fake (2023)

> Traditional balsamic vinegar is so expensive that it is served by the drop. A mere 100ml bottle can be priced starting at €125.

> Balsamic vinegar that is not labelled "tradizionale" (traditional) is a blend of wine vinegar and grape must, made from grapes with no particular provenance and aged in wooden or steel barrels for just a few months.

> According to food historian Maureen Fant, "The lesser categories of balsamic vinegar can be used in cooking, but people should learn to read labels. The tradizionale has one ingredient – simply mosto cotto, while all the other kinds are either a mix of vinegar and mosto, down to the ones that are just made with vinegar, coloured and flavoured for an air of verisimilitude."

So I've been eating imitation balsamic all my life? I wonder if I've ever even tasted real balsamic before. I would love to do a taste test and see which one I prefer.

I googled "traditional balsamic vinegar Modena DOP" and the cheapest 100ml I found was €55 (US$58). Next cheapest I saw was US$79, and then it was up into the 100s from there (I didn't go past first page of results).

I saw this and thought it interesting :)

I've been watching a fair few buy-a-farm-in-southern-europe vloggers pick their own vines and olives, but now realise none of them seem to talk about making vinegar.

What I long for, but can't find in any supermarket on the continent, is Malt Vinegar. Malt vinegar is the mainstay vinegar in the UK and absolutely essential for the classic fish and chips. Yet it doesn't seem to be widely available outside the UK?

Also I read that truffle oil is always synthetic.